- Innovation
The EU presents its International Digital Strategy
According to a study carried out by theNational Observatory of Technology and Society (ONTSI), 78% of workers believe that their company should provide them with the tools and training necessary to work effectively with the latest digital technologies, including AI, to face the challenges of today's professional environment.
The report “Indicators of use of artificial intelligence in Spain 2024” (2025 Edition – 2024 Data) updates the figures for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in Spanish companies and in this new edition, it also expands its scope by including an analysis of the use of AI by citizens.
This demand from workers is accompanied by an increasingly positive perception of the impact of these technologies. 73% of the population believes that AI and the latest digital technologies will have a positive impact on the workplace and more than half of the population, 56%, has a positive opinion about the use of robots and AI.
In addition, four out of ten people “somewhat” agree that the use of AI will contribute to making life simpler.
Growing use in the business sector
In the field of business, the report shows that almost half, 44%, of companies with more than 249 employees in Spain used AI technologies in 2024, which is 11 percentage points more than three years earlier.
For its part, 11,4% of Spanish companies with 10 or more employees used AI technologies last year, which represents an increase of 1,8 percentage points compared to the previous year and more than 3 points compared to 2021 data, and just over one point below the average for OECD countries (12,7%).
The AI technologies most used by companies with 10 or more people include those that perform written language analysis (44,7%) and those that automate workflows or assist in decision-making (39%). Those that generate written or spoken language are the ones that have grown the most in the last year (11,9 percentage points more), followed by those that perform written language analysis (11,7 percentage points more). In addition, the report highlights that 28,7% of companies use AI for marketing or sales, as well as in business administration or management processes, becoming the most common areas of application.
By sector, companies in the information and communications sector register the highest use of AI (46,6%), followed by the ICT sector, with 45%, and those in scientific and technical activities, with 26,1%. In addition, almost half of companies access AI technologies through the acquisition of ready-to-use commercial packages (45,8%).
Analysis of the use of AI among citizens
Regarding the use of AI by citizens, the report reveals that 42,1% of the adult population of Spain has ever used AI in 2023 (last available update), mainly for writing texts and translations (24,1% and 21%, respectively).
Likewise, more than half of the Spanish population believes that AI will have a positive impact on household chores (54,5%), education and continuous learning (53,2%) and almost to the same extent, on transportation (47,9%) and entertainment and art (44,8%).
Regarding generative AI, more than half of the adult population in Spain has used it in 2024, mainly for personal use and to receive advice.